X games rookies break records, sweep events Friday and Saturday

Bold youth or veteran experience? Rookies led the charge during the final two days of X Games Aspen.

Men’s snowboard big air

Japan’s Hiroto Ogiwara set the tone in men’s snowboard big air on Friday night, landing the first ever 2340 — six and a half spins — in competition and winning the event. A rookie, the 19-year-old won his first ever gold on his debut. Japan’s Taiga Hasegawa, 19, took home silver, bringing his medal count to three, and New Zealand rookie Rocco Jamieson, 18, took bronze, also bringing home his first X Games medal.

Men’s snowboard knuckle huck

Later Friday night, China’s Wang Ziyang, 21, won knuckle huck with the competition’s first ever triple frontflip. The rookie began the rotation before the lip of the knuckle, tapping the tip and tail of his snowboard as he completed the first flip, before continuing the axis for two more. Switzerland’s Patrick Hofmann, 23, won silver and California’s Dusty Henricksen, 21, took home the bronze, bringing his X Games medal count to five.

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Snowboard street style

Women’s snowboard rookies swept street style in the event debut on Saturday afternoon. Montana’s Iris Pham, 20, won the event. Finland rookie Telma Sarkipaju, 19, won silver, and Minnesota’s Jaylen Hanson, 18, won bronze. All three athletes earned their first X games medals. 

Rookies struck again in the men’s snowboard street style following the women’s competition Saturday. Canada’s Frank Jobin, 26, took gold at his first ever X Games, followed by Massachusetts’ Nate Haust, 32, and Minnesota’s Benny Milam, 26. Each athlete won their first X Games medal.

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Men’s ski big air

Saturday night’s big air saw the highest spinning night in the history of X Games, with a group of 20-year-olds, mostly rookies, taking the podium. Italian rookie Miro Tabanelli landed the first ever 2340, matching the bar Ogiwara set in snowboard big air the previous night with six and a half spins. New Zealand rookie Luca Harrington followed Friday’s slopestyle gold with a big air silver, landing a 2160, six spins. And Austria’s Matej Svancer landed a switch tailbutter 2160, flexing the tails of his skis off the lip of the jump as he spun six times, starting backwards and ending backwards. 

Veteran Alex Hall started the night with a zero spin, starting backwards off of the jump and landing backwards with no spins, perhaps in protest of the “spin to win” mindset the event is developing. The judges however, did not reward him for his commentary. Troy Podmilsak, who won gold in 2024 and just missed the podium on a 2360 attempt this year, said tricks this big are not necessarily fun.

“I’m absolutely terrified. I do not want to be doing these tricks,” he told the X Games press.

Skyler Stark-Ragsdale can be reached at 970-429-9152 or email him at sstark-ragsdale@aspentimes.com.